Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

IRAN MISSILE LAUNCH

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on January 15 issued a statement condemning Iran’s firing of a space launch vehicle in defiance of the international community.

He pointed out that Iran continues to defy the international community and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 with this latest move. On January 15 the Iranian regime, he stated, “fired off a space launch vehicle…. Such vehicles incorporate technologies that are virtually identical and interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles. Today’s launch furthers Iran’s ability to eventually build such a weapon.”

Washington has clearly stated it will not stand for Iran’s flagrant disregard for international norms. The Secretary added that the “United States is working with our allies and partners to counter the entire range of the Islamic Republic’s threats, including its missile program, which threatens Europe and the Middle East.”

IRANIAN ACTION IN YEMAN AND SYRIA

The Secretary of State met with the traveling press during his recent trip to the Middle East. When asked to characterize the conversations he had with various foreign leaders regarding Yeman, Syria and Iraq, he said the challenges all start “with extremism in whatever form you find it. In this case you have Iranian-backed Houthis, Iranian-backed Hizballah, Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq, Iranian-backed forces in Syria, and in each case the root of the challenge stems from the revolutionary nature of the Islamic regime and their efforts abroad. And so they’re focused on doing the things they can do.”

Pompeo pointed out that he shared “with the crown prince and with the king…” that the United States wants “an Iraq that is independent, sovereign, and how it is we might do that – there are lots of economic things we can do to assist Iraq in getting back on its feet, which will permit them to be more independent and Yes, if you are already going through Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which is a metabolic dysfunction.One of the common symptoms that can be effectively treated by Pulsatilla. buy cialis on line Designed to be used in a variety of dosages and generic viagra canada in various forms. There may be some times when you take the time out viagra sale to talk and understand what you’re child is going through can be very helpful. ICT means convergence of telephone and audio-visual networks with computer levitra india http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/10/12/1-degil-2-degil-7-superkahraman-ayni-filmde-the-avengers-filminin-ilk-fragmani/ networks. have more control and be more sovereign.”

The Secretary characterized the conversations as wide ranging and said that “America’s continued effort on the economic and financial front – to attempt to convince the Iranian people that America is serious about empowering them and creating opportunities for the Iranian people.” He also pointed out that several of the leaders with whom he spoke also wanted to see an independent and sovereign Iraq.

SAUDI ARABIA

During the Secretary of State’s meeting with the traveling press he also discussed the situation with Saudi Arabia surrounding the Khashoggi murder. He pointed out to the press that “the United States relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That’s who – that’s who our partner is; that’s who our strategically shared interest is with.”

“…I spoke with the ruler in Saudi Arabia, the king, and the crown prince, and the foreign minister, and we spoke about a wide range of issues. And where we’re working closely together and being successful we want to redouble our efforts, and where friends think the other one is falling short I was very clear and candid about those things where America is not satisfied, where they’re not meeting our expectations. And they – and they appreciate that.”

The Saudi leaders also pointed out to Secretary Pompeo areas in which the Kingdom felt the United States fell short of expectations. With regard to the Secretary’s recent speech in Doha, he said that the Saudi’s believed his comments were consistent both with America’s policy and “what it is they hope we’ll continue to do. That is, they think we have the right understanding of the challenges that are here in the Middle East, that this administration does. But we did talk about how we might put the Gulf back in a better place… It’s a matter of us all figuring out how to do it together, but mostly, those countries figuring out how they can put it back together.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Putin’s Saber Rattling

Earlier this week, President Biden reversed his 2022 decision, authorizing the provision of antipersonnel land mines to the Ukrainian government. It follows an earlier Administration authorization to allow the use of an advanced American missile system capable of striking as deep as 100 miles inside Russian territory. The US election season may be ending, but both Russia and the West show no indication of stepping down the conflict. Russian propaganda continues to swell as the Kremlin increases its threats to use nuclear weapons against the West. Last week Andrey Sushentsov, program director of the pro-Kremlin think tank Valdai Discussion Club (VDC), published an article on growing nuclear tensions in the region. Official Russian language in the last few years has been threatening. Since the US election, rhetoric like that in the Sushentsov article, has approached the level of nuclear blackmail. The VDC article’s main theme centers on Russia’s intent to directly confront the West militarily if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) becomes involved in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. “On the one hand, these threats are intended to frighten the West, but on the other, Russian propagandists themselves are starting to believe in the inevitability of escalation,” according to Ksenia Kirillova of the Jamestown Foundation. On November 11, Sushentsov wrote that “The conflict will reach a completely new level, with unpredictable consequences for Europe and the entire world.” Kirillova points out that Putin’s distorted image of the world is divorced from reality and is causing the Kremlin to issue demands that are impossible to fulfill. Financial and other Russian resources needed to support Putin’s war are growing scarcer at the same time. This week the Kremlin announced a reduction of payments to its soldiers. Recently North Korea acknowledged it was sending soldiers to fight in Ukraine as Putin is running out of bodies to use as cannon fire. The war is not going well for Russia. One question floating around the Washington intelligence community is whether Putin will act out of desperation before President-elect Trump assumes office. In recent months the Russian propaganda machine is spewing out materials from fairly reputable analytical platforms inside the country. Kirillova says that “Kremlin ‘experts’ do not conceal that such threats are only intended to break the West psychologically, as they themselves are not prepared for full-scale nuclear war.” Despite Russia’s lack of preparation for an all-out war with the West, the expanding nuclear rhetoric carries with it an increase in the threat of a full-scale war in multiple theaters of operation. In June 2023 a founder of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Sergey Karaganov, called for “delivering a pre-emptive strike of retaliation” on Poland to force the West to surrender. In the previous month, Dmitry Suslov, a direct of research programs at the policy center proposed organizing “a demonstration nuclear explosion” aimed at intimidating the West. In September, President Putin announced a reappraisal of Russian nuclear doctrine after speaking earlier in the year at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and jokingly calling Suslov a “scary person.” Pavel Baev, writing in the European Daily Monitor, says “Putin intends his announcement to mark an escalation of nuclear brinkmanship and influence the proceedings of future Ukrainian peace efforts.” Putin is expanding the list of environmental conditions that are acceptable for using a nuclear weapon and incorporating it into Russian military doctrine. Baev adds that “The ups and downs of Russian brinkmanship are disconnected from the kinetic battles of the war, correlating instead with Ukrainian peace offensives, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first peace summit in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.” Despite the increase in vitriolic language, in a You Tube video published a week before the US presidential election, Karaganov openly assured the West the primary goal of the escalation is to break the American spirit and that of the West, not outright nuclear war. By Election Day in the US, with political prognosticators predicting a win for former president Trump, Karaganov changed his tune and called for an increased role in nuclear deterrence. Kirillova points out that Western concessions to Russia are unlikely to reduce the risk of nuclear escalation. The distorted reality inside the Kremlin continues to push that President-elect Trump is an adherent of “world government,” that Ukraine will create a nuclear weapon, and Russia must prepare for a nuclear conflagration to achieve its ambitions for a new world order. President-elect Trump has indicated he will not agree to concessions that destabilize Europe, the Middle East or other regions. Going forward a strong US foreign policy may be the most stabilizing course the West can count on to restrain Putin and his intent to rebuild the Russian empire. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay

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